TEHRAN (Iran News) Speaking during a meeting with the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), Samad Hassanzadeh highlighted the challenges businesses are facing and called for immediate action to address them.

Hassanzadeh urged Ali Larijani, the newly appointed SNSC Secretary, to use his position to safeguard national authority, resolve issues undermining economic security, and restore confidence in the country’s economic landscape.

“Security in all its dimensions is important, but economic security has a special place,” Hassanzadeh said. “Unfortunately, in recent years this has been neglected, leading to instability and a loss of trust.”

The ICCIMA president underlined the need to amend certain economic laws and regulations, noting that exporters have been discouraged by restrictive policies. “If these laws are reformed, exports will increase and more foreign currency will enter the country,” he added.

Hassanzadeh also pointed to capital flight driven by high inflation, multiple exchange rates, and unfavorable policies toward exporters. Since 2018, he said, regulations on foreign exchange commitments have created further challenges, despite the Chamber submitting proposals to resolve them—proposals that have largely been ignored.

He warned that export obstacles have encouraged illegal practices, including the misuse of rented export licenses, which deprive the government of rightful revenues.

On international cooperation, Hassanzadeh expressed readiness to expand economic and trade relations with all countries, particularly neighbors, emphasizing that the private sector stands beside the government and state institutions in carrying out reforms.

“The private sector’s proposals are based on genuine concern for the country’s prosperity and dignity,” he said, highlighting the Chamber’s wide network and experience. He recalled that during the 12-day war, Iranian industries continued production without interruption, ensuring stability in domestic markets.

Referring to disruptions in the banking system during that period, Hassanzadeh noted that despite the inability to transfer funds, the distribution of strategic goods such as wheat and flour was carried out even faster. “This commitment by economic actors reflects their integrity and resilience,” he concluded.

Meanwhile in the meeting, Peyman Bagheri, Vice President of the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, saidt hat the country is at one of the most critical junctures since the Revolution and called for economic decisions that differ from past approaches.

Bagheri described Larijani’s image among private-sector representatives as “positive and constructive.” He stressed that the most serious problem facing the national economy is the government’s heavy-handed intervention.

“Despite development plans requiring the state to become smaller and more efficient, the government grows larger and costlier every day,” Bagheri said.

Highlighting the country’s entrenched budget deficit, he noted that government expenditures have expanded so much that virtually all available resources are consumed by day-to-day administration.

Bagheri argued that strong resistance within the bureaucracy prevents the transfer of state-owned enterprises to the private sector. “Wherever the bureaucracy’s engine shuts down, the country is managed more efficiently,” he said, recalling the rapid release of goods from customs during a 12-day war when simple directives enabled private-sector capacity to surface.

He emphasized the need to create a more competitive business environment, warning that semi-state-owned companies (“quasi-privates”) dominate the market and obstruct private-sector activity.

On financing and investment, Bagheri said the oil-driven economy has long injected petroleum revenues into infrastructure and operations, leaving little room for private-sector growth and competitiveness. He called for a reassessment of both domestic and foreign investment structures.

“Iran is rich in underground resources, but due to insufficient investment, these capacities are underutilized,” he said, adding that liquidity often flows into non-productive markets instead.

Turning to the power industry, Bagheri noted that private investment in building new power plants has been absent for over two decades. “The sector is entirely non-competitive and non-transparent, with the government competing against the private sector,” he said.

He underscored the importance of foreign capital and exports: “Attracting foreign investment is essential. International engagement ensures economic security. Without integrating into global trade and value chains, achieving 8% economic growth is impossible. Such growth requires relying on the private sector.”

Bagheri described the Chamber’s provincial branches, joint chambers, specialized commissions, and associations as vital assets for the nation. He urged policymakers to draw lessons from past crises and entrust more responsibility to the private sector.

He also criticized the country’s anti-smuggling law, warning against turning the economy into a security-driven environment. “When the market feels securitized, entrepreneurs are pushed toward unproductive sectors,” he said, calling for revisions to the legislation.

In closing, Bagheri proposed that the Secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council establish mechanisms to strengthen economic security oversight and coordination.

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He said this sense of trust on their part will help relieve the impacts of the sanctions. In his remarks, He highlighted the important role the investors play in economic growth and development.

Two key factors in sustainable development and a strong economy are to prevent capitals from leaving the country and attract investment from abroad, the President noted.

Enemies aim to hinder investment in infrastructures; meanwhile, the government has made efforts to nullify the sanctions through removing the obstacles and attracting the investment, Rouhani stressed.

In the end, the President described the destructive psychological operations in the forex market as enemies’ move to disappoint investors and businesspersons.

President Rouhani had earlier called the US maximum pressure on Iran an economic war.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif in a tweet stressed that the country’s measures are fully reversible upon full compliance by all JCPOA parties.

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IRAN NEWS ECONOMIC DESK

In his recent interview with Sobh Eghtesad Persian economy daily, a publication from Sokhan Goster which is the license-holder of IRAN NEWS, Dr. Sobahani underscored the significance of economic security in the national security of any country.

When he was asked about security in Iran which is emphasized every  where and his definition of security, he said that when one talks about security he may mean physical security like border security. He added that the current approach to security issue in the country is outdated and this approach has totally changed in the past four decades.

Dr. Sobhani added that in the past when one talked about security, all attentions were focused on defensive security with indicators like military power, and any country had good condition in military sector was considered as a country with high security.

He noted that in recent decades the definition of security has turned from defensive to economic one and countries are weighed based on their economic power than their military powers. He went on to say that in some articles, national security have been synonymous with economic security and some believe that national security is that economic security.

So those countries which enjoy high economic power and their people’s condition is defendable in terms of economy, enjoys more security, he added.

He reiterated those countries which have economic security have definitely national securities and in Iran, officials have paid attention to the economic security but how far they have progressed and been successful in order to say that it has guaranteed the national security is questionable.

On the factors of economic security, Dr. Sobhani said that economic security has essentially been based on two factors. He said the first factor is to provide and prepare welfare facilities in the country for the citizens, adding that economic policies should be in a way that people even in the farthest part of the country and in the borders feel that all facilities are more than their minimum needs and they become content with the economic condition as they support the condition and try for improving it.

Dr. Sobhani added that the second factor is country’s impact in the international communities and the world. He added, “Suppose one country has managed to satisfy its nation with domestic economic security and it enjoys favorable hegemony. It means other countries accept it and its words, and in accepting it, they do not feel superiority. Those countries which enjoy such a status beyond their borders can actually influence the international system in favor of themselves. If factors of domestic welfare and satisfaction as well as influencing international community are accompanied by their indexes, then we can say economic security exists.”

On finding a country in the Middle East with having both two factors together, Dr. Sobhani said that it is difficult to find one as you can see that the U.S. imposed sanctions and other big countries follow it because of their interests.

When asked why satisfaction index among Iranians is low no matter of their financial condition, he said that it is natural and man innately looks for more and no one can fight with this human nature.

He added, “The question is whether people who are in better economic condition are ready to pay heavy costs for more facilities. Complaining about the current condition does not necessarily mean that they are ready to interrupt current situation which may have heavy social and political costs. You can barely find people with good financial condition to risk unless they cannot earn their living. So they stage protests and pay for it because they have nothing to lose and their condition would not become worse than current condition. Of course what was said does not mean would happen. For example during the elections and during the conducted polls, people are asked who will win the election. Some names are raised and people are asked to whom they may vote. They name for example Mr. X but when they cast their votes, they vote for another candidate. Here there are one feeling and one performance. Mostly performance is criticized but it does not mean the condition is so bad that he is discontent in order to change it.

When Mr. Sobhani was asked on the performance of governments on economic security in Iran after the Islamic Revolution, he said that in terms of economic security, governments have not been successful. He added, “The reason for my belief is that the average inflation rate has been 19 to 19.30 percent from 1989 to 2016.It means every 5 years people’s purchase power has been halved. The average unemployment rate has been between 11.5 to 12 percent and the average annual per capita has been 6m tomans, it means 500,000 tomans monthly. These limited indicators show that people are struggling economically. If satisfaction towards economy is one of the economic security factors, the country does not get good mark. Every government tries to reap the results of its predecessor. Maybe we can say in some indexes, reformist government performed better. We should study the reason. During the reformist government except the first year, the oil price rose and did not fall and even during “Love and affection” government oil revenues jumped and the government had whopping oil incomes but it faced sanctions.

Dr. Sobhani noted that losing economic power has negative impact on the social security, adding that fall in purchase power makes people poorer and poverty makes room neither for personality nor religion. He went on to say that for this reason the number of crimes and felonies is on the rise in the country, adding that impacts of lack of economic security in the society are limitless.

On how the country can fortify the social security in the society, he said that no one can present solutions and to resolve problems in few years.

Dr. Sobhani noted that economic policies of all governments have been the same in Iran and today’s economy is the result of economic policies of the country in the past 30 years and if a policy does not bear fruit, it should be corrected but nobody is ready for it.

He added that mechanism should be designed in a way to provide people with their necessary needs and they should not be worried about health, education and jobs.

He also called for a change in the approach of banking system which is Iran’s economy Achilles heel. He said depositing money in banks and to live based on interests from their deposits will force no one to production as the Constitutions mentions economy should be pushed ahead through interest-less loans.

Dr Sobhani reiterated that economy in the Constitutions should replace the current economy and production should be encouraged in the society.

He also said that many educated people have been in the governments and exist in the country who have also educated abroad and they have good views but their views do not fit rent-seeking and un-productive economy.

He also admitted that one of the reasons that governments do not reform is that educational body of the country is omnipresent and they do whatever the educational system has taught them and their knowledge mostly does not useful for the national economy because reality of the economy is totally different with what they have learned, adding that un-productive private sector and defected university system should be blamed for the current economic condition.

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